Safe for an Expendable
by FictionWriter91
Summary: When a job comes up regarding a kidnapped teenage girl and a potential terrorist threat, the team jumps on it. While searching, Lee crosses path with the man who's the adopted father of the girl, a man who just happens to be his exact mirror image. Luke Wright won't stop for anything until he finds Mei, not even to acknowledge why he has a twin, but will their past get in the way?
1. Who Are You?

**Soooo I'm on a total Jason Statham binge fest right now, and I got this idea of a crossover with two of his films, Safe and The Expendables. If you haven't seen Safe yet, you have to. Right now. Go. It's worth it :D Please enjoy!**

* * *

 **1967**

 _"Hurry!" the man urged. The woman gave him a pleading look._

 _"Please," she begged. "Just one more minute..."_

 _"You've had all the minutes we can spare. You must let them go," the man said, getting frustrated. The two babies started to cry when they were taken away from her._

 _"I change my mind," she whispered, reaching for them._

 _"It's too late," the man snapped._

 _"Luke..." she cried softly. "Lee..."_

 **Present (2016)-Luke Wright**

 _"No parents. No brothers or sisters, which is too bad, cos I'd like to take them from you too. But you loved your wife..."_

Luke woke drenched in sweat. Heart pounding and feeling like he was choking, he sat up. Even though he had schooled the Russians and showed them he wasn't just a useless garbage collector but a hardened ex-cop, he still had nightmares of when he'd found them in his home right after they'd killed his wife, Annie. He rubbed his face hard. He hated that he was weak in his dreams. His alarm clock read 2 a.m., and he groaned. He had to get Mei to school and head to work. He couldn't wait until she could drive herself, but he knew she'd graduate high school before she even qualified to get her license. That's what you got when you semi-adopted a genius girl. He settled back down onto his pillows, wondering if he was crazy. No one had questioned that he was her adoptive father, not that he acted like her father. Mei had made it clear she didn't want anymore fathers, just a friend. He closed his eyes. He wasn't bad at being a friend.

 **Lee Christmas**

He woke up with a jolt, alone. Lacy had left soon after he'd returned with Barney and the gang from their recent mission. It turned out she couldn't handle his job after all. He gripped his forehead, wondering what it was that woke him up. He swore softly when he saw it was only 2 a.m. He hated not having a full night's sleep. Sometimes he felt like he was missing something, but he couldn't figure out what. Giving up on sleep, he went out to the kitchen and poured a glass of water. Looking around his apartment in the dark, he knew it was a cliche bachelor pad. He did clean it, though. He wasn't an animal, not entirely anyway. He looked out the window and onto the street. There wasn't any movement. All was quiet in the world for now. He went back to bed, thinking about how alone he was. No parents. No brothers or sisters. His family was the Expendable gang. He'd only ever known violence and fighting. Eventually, he fell asleep.

 **Two Days Later-Luke**

"Mei?" he called, coming inside the house. He set his keys down and paused, waiting for her usual response. Nothing came. For a second, he felt scared, but then he remembered, they were safe. He had made sure of that.

"Mei?!"

He went to her room, and her door was ajar. She wasn't in there. Frowning, he thought hard about where she said she would be after school. He had been certain she was supposed to be home. He dialed her cell phone, knowing she'd be annoyed with him for interrupting whatever it was she was doing. He was coming up with an excuse for calling her when it went to voicemail.

"Hey, it's me," he said. "Just checking in. Thought you were gonna be home tonight. Text me when you get this."

He hung up, toying with his phone. Something just didn't feel right.

...

After more than 5 hours went by with nothing from Mei, Luke decided to make the call. He hated that he had to do this, but he was more concerned about Mei than about what the police made of him. An officer came by within half an hour.

"She's your...daughter?" he asked, pausing. His pen was poised over the pad of paper.

"Adopted daughter, yes," Luke replied. "She hasn't answered my calls or texts, and she hasn't come home from school. That is not like her at all."

"All right. We'll post her photo and send out some guys. Hopefully she just went somewhere to hang out and forgot to tell you."

"That'd be the best scenario," Luke agreed. He hated to think of something awful happening to her, not after he promised to keep her safe.

 **Two Days After Mei Goes Missing-Lee**

"Hey, we got called for a job," Barney said. They were in their usual hangout. Toll, Caesar, Gunner, and Doc were drinking and talking. Barney was telling Lee first.

"What job?" Lee asked.

"It's...different. Apparently there's a missing girl..."

"Since when are we the police?" Lee asked, snorting.

"The thing is, they think she's been taken for a terrorist act," Barney explained. Lee paused then, knife in hand.

"Why would a girl be used for that?"

"Apparently she is a genius. Her brain is a computer...she can memorize anything."

"Who has her?" Lee asked, frowning. He knew that girl would be terrified.

"We don't know. Drummer is working on it. The last tip that came in was that she had been sighted in D.C."

"How old is she?"

"15 almost 16. Set to graduate high school at the end of the year."

"So what are we gonna do?"

"I think we should head to D.C.," Barney said.

"All right. I'm in," Lee nodded. Barney banged the table to get the others' attentions. Lee wondered how frantic that poor girl's father and mother must be by now.

 **Luke**

He paced the halls of his house. Mei was still missing. He knew something bad was going on. The police didn't seem to want to fill him in. Enough was enough. He went to his supply cupboard and started loading up on weapons and armor. He couldn't trust anyone anymore. He was going to find Mei on his own and save her, just like last time. She was in D.C., that was all the cop would tell him. Well, he'd just go there and find her himself.

 **Washington D.C., The Next Day**

Lee and Barney walked side by side as they scanned the area. It was one of the darkest places of D.C., and Lee wondered if they would actually get anywhere.

"Drummer sent over some details on our potential suspect," Barney said. He showed Lee.

"Stanley Garrett," Lee read, taking it from him. "On the watch list for an extremist group."

"What I'm trying to figure out is why would he need a girl like Mei to pull this off?"

"Maybe it's not a terror thing?" Lee asked, although in his heart he knew it was.

"Guess we'll find out. Here's his residence," Barney said. They stopped outside the door. Lee instantly saw that it was open.

"Seems he already has visitors," Lee noted. Barney pulled out his gun, and Lee followed suit. They crept up the stairs and pushed the broken door in. It creaked, making Lee wince. Nothing was more of a dead giveaway to someone than a damn squeaky door. Barney went in first, then Lee. Within seconds, Lee was attacked. He was taken aback at first, but he gained his footing soon and fought back. Barney tried to get his sights on who was doing it, but he couldn't make sense of it.

"STOP!" he roared. Both men stopped fighting, and Lee was panting hard, staring at his attacker. He felt his stomach drop.

"What the-" he started.

"Who the hell are you?" Luke demanded. Lee was in total disbelief. He was staring at himself.

* * *

 **The irony of Luke and Lee separated at birth is not lost on me (I am also a Star Wars fan) haha. I caught that pretty quickly. Anyway, I hope you like it so far! If you have time to leave a review, I'd appreciate it :)**


	2. Seeing Double

**Well, I guess this is not a very popular story, which saddens me a little. It seems that none of my stories for Safe, 2012 or Edge of Tomorrow/Expendables crossovers are interesting to readers, which is disappointing. I thought they were at least a little bit intriguing. Anyway, here's another chapter. Feel free to leave a review if you have the time.**

* * *

 **1966**

 _"I'm pregnant," she whispered. The man froze, staring at her._

 _"What?" he asked in disbelief._

 _"Yes."_

 _"How?"_

 _"The same way it always goes," she laughed. Then she stopped, feeling scared. He wasn't laughing with her._

 _"Get rid of it," he hissed. She clutched her abdomen._

 _"No," she shook her head. "This baby is mine."_

 _"Get rid of it, or I will do it for you," he threatened. She backed away._

 _"You can't make me," she gasped. He had always frightened her in some way, but this was even worse than before. He lunged, and she fled. She ran and ran for her life. It wasn't just her life anymore, it was her babies' lives too. She hadn't told him she was carrying twins._

 **Present (2016)-Luke & Lee**

"Who are you?" Luke demanded again while Lee was trying to get a grip on what he was seeing. Even Barney was shocked.

"Lee Christmas," he finally answered.

"Why are you here?" Luke asked. He was trying not to feel unnerved that his exact replica was staring back at him, right down to the scowl. He'd figure that out later. What was important was finding Mei. Stanley hadn't been here when he arrived, and he needed to find him before it was too late.

"We're trying to find a girl," Barney said when Lee was at a loss for words.

"So am I," Luke cut in.

"How is this even possible?" Lee spluttered finally. Luke shrugged.

"No idea."

"Lee, didn't you say you never had a family?" Barney said slowly. Luke stared at him then, realization hitting him.

"I don't either," he told Barney.

"Is that so?" Barney asked, looking at both of them. "Then I guess either someone did some cloning or someone split you guys up."

"I gotta get out," Lee said, moving to the door and thumping down the stairs. Luke was still staring at Barney.

"Why are you trying to find Mei?" he asked.

"Because we think she's involved with a potential terrorist attack, but I'm sure you already knew that," Barney pointed out. He felt very odd talking to a different version of Lee. Luke nodded.

"I got my information."

"Well, he's not here, so I suggest we find him," Barney said. He went out the door, and after a moment, Luke followed. He was feeling just as weird about this whole thing.

 **Lee**

Lee was pinching his nose and pacing when Barney found him.

"What the hell is going on?" Lee demanded. "Is this supposed to be some sort of joke? Because it's not funny!"

"Lee, calm down," Barney said. "He's real. He's obviously your twin."

"I wasn't cloned, was I?" Lee asked, feeling worried suddenly. Barney's remark had stuck with him.

"Where the hell did you grow up?" Barney demanded, resisting the urge to laugh.

"I grew up in a martial arts school," Lee answered. "I had no family but my fellow students. It's how I know everything I know." He caught sight of Luke on his phone, and he felt nauseous. He had a twin. An actual, real life twin. He wanted answers, and he wanted them right now.

 **Luke**

"Thanks," Luke said, hanging up. His informant told him where Stanley had headed. That was the thing about being an ex-cop with the ability of acting like a small army all by yourself. You had contacts. He walked over to where his doppelganger and the other man were talking.

"I don't know who you are, and I don't care. I don't need your help, so you can be on your way," he said. Barney snorted.

"Sorry. This is our case. You're stuck with us."

"No, I'm not," Luke shook his head, turning to walk away. He didn't look back.

 **Lee**

"What the damn hell?" Caesar asked. "Didn't I just see you walk the other way?!"

"Fellas, Lee here has a twin," Barney explained. Lee didn't say a word as he climbed into the vehicle. The others had hung back while Barney and Lee had checked out the apartment. They were now gaping at Lee.

"Seriously?" Toll asked. "Wow."

"Two Lees," Doc mused. "That's scary."

"What's he doing here?" Gunner asked.

"He's got something to do with the girl, who's name is Mei," Barney said. "He didn't say how he knew her or why he's looking for her."

"He's just going it alone?" Caesar exclaimed, surprised.

"Apparently he's a wise guy," Lee muttered. His head was throbbing. A twin. He was still hung up on that piece of information.

"Well, he's soon gonna be a dead guy," Barney said, starting the car. "Let's go."

 **Mei**

She was terrified. She had no idea what was happening or why they wanted her. They kept her in a locked room with no windows. She wanted Luke. He'd know how to save her. She wondered if he was already looking for her. Would he know where she was?

"All right," her captor said, opening the door. His name was Stanley. He was always annoyed. "Your time to shine."

"Just let me go," she begged. "I won't say anything!"

"Yea, right," he snorted. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to the other room where a bunch of armed men were standing. He shoved her into the chair, some kind of map or plan was on the table followed by photos.

"Memorize it," he ordered. "All of it." She stared at it. It only took seconds, really. Mei was trying to figure out what she had memorized. She went through the other photos as well.

"Done," she said after less than a minute. He stared at her.

"Are you sure?" he asked, tapping her head with his gun.

"Yes. You already know how smart I am. You should believe me," she said.

"Hmph," Stanley scoffed.

"Now what?" one of his partners asked.

"We're ready," Stanley grinned. He picked the girl up and carried her out. She had the map in her mind. Now he wouldn't have to bring it along and risk others seeing it. No one was going to be prepared for what he was about to do.


	3. Teaming Up

**1967**

 _She was eight months pregnant and feeling it. She lived in constant fear that she'd be found. She had no idea how she was going to raise these babies on her own. Then, one day, someone gave her an out._

 _"I heard you have a dilemma," a man said, approaching her in the library. "I have a solution for you. You can give your babies to me, and you'll never have to worry about them."_

 _"What are you saying?" she asked after the man told her his plan._

 _"Your boys will be well taken care of. They'll be trained as elite special operations mercenaries," he said again impatiently. "But you can't have anything to do with them."_

 _"Why not?"_

 _"They can't have anyone to care about."_

 _"That's ridiculous."_

 _"It'll keep them safe," the man said, emphasizing the word "safe." She froze._

 _"You can guarantee that?"_

 _"I can. I've been involved in this program for a long time. Not one of the kids I've collected have died."_

 _"And they'll be with each other?"_

 _The man hesitated._

 _"Of course."_

 _"As long as they're together, I'll do it," she said. It felt like she was abandoning her babies, but she knew if they stayed with her, they wouldn't be safe. He would find her and kill them. He'd made that clear._

 **Present (2016)-Luke**

He knew he was being followed. It irked him that no one listened to him. He had this in the bag. He already knew where to find Stanley, and he had an idea as to what was going on. He knew Mei would be so scared.

"What part of I'm not in your group don't you understand?" he asked, turning to see Barney, his twin, and the rest of the gang behind him.

"It's for the best," Barney pointed out.

"No it's not. You'll f**k it up. I'm a lone wolf," Luke growled.

"We're just your backup," Barney insisted. Luke glared at them all.

"Look," Lee said. "I know you're pissed, but we're in this together."

"Just stay out of my way," Luke retorted. He went into the restaurant and took in his surroundings. A hush fell over the patrons. He made his way to the back where he found his contact. The others hung outside so as not to upset anyone.

"Where?" Luke asked. The man turned and gestured him to follow. Luke walked down the stairs after him, and the man showed him the hole. Luke looked at it for a moment.

"Where does it go?" he asked finally.

"It's under the city," the man explained. "There's a whole underground system down there. Stanley is planning for chaos while hiding down here where no one will find him."

"He picked the wrong girl," Luke said, feeling incredibly angry. So Stanley had Mei memorize the tunnel system so they wouldn't get lost. Bastard.

"He's connected."

"So am I. When?"

"Tonight."

"I'll be back," Luke said, leaving then. He hated to admit it, but having a team behind him would be beneficial.

 **Lee**

"Here he comes," Barney said. Lee still got a jolt when he saw Luke. It was very unnerving.

"All right," Luke said. "Here's the deal. We go in, get Mei, and you get out. I deal with Stanley."

"Whoa, whoa," Toll said, holding up his hand. "Why don't you tell us what's going on first?" Luke sighed impatiently, running a hand over his head quickly.

"Stanley is doing something by using the underground tunnel system under the city. He's got Mei to memorize the tunnels more like, and he's going to use her to help him pull off whatever it is he's planning on doing."

"You don't know?" Barney asked. Luke shook his head.

"My contacts don't know everything," he answered.

"When?" Lee asked.

"Tonight."

"Shit," Caesar muttered. It was all happening so fast.

"What do we need?" Barney asked.

"A whole lot of guns and ammo," Luke answered.

"You got it. Now, let's get a look at this tunnel," Barney said, moving towards the restaurant. Lee followed. Luke trailed behind. He did his best not to think about how Mei must be feeling right now.

 **Mei**

When it was dark, she was removed from her room again and put in the back of a truck. They drove for a while and then stopped. Stanley retrieved her, and they all walked down to the basement of some restaurant. The man who let them in was given a wad of cash while Stanley opened the hole and gestured for them to step in. Mei felt very scared now. What were they doing? Where were they going?

"All right," Stanley said. "You remember everything?"

She nodded.

"Good. We are at the bottom right corner of the layout," Stanley said. "Go." He pushed Mei forward, and she walked. She used her mental image as her guide.

"I don't think so," Luke's voice said, a gun clicking. Mei spun around and saw him standing there in the light, gun aimed at Stanley.

"What the hell is this?" Stanley demanded.

"Your worst nightmare," Luke answered. Mei felt an arm and a hand go around her mouth then.

"Shh," a voice said. "We're getting you out of here." She didn't fight. They went further into the tunnel to get away from Stanley. After they were safe, she was released.

"Hey," Luke said, smiling at her.

"Wait," Mei said, staring. "But you...you were..." She looked back. It had been Luke holding them up with the gun, right?

"Long story. I'll explain later. You remember how to get out of here?" he asked.

"Of course."

"Then let's go."

"What about...?"

"They've got it covered."

"They?"

"Again, it's a long story. Come on."

"HALT!" a voice shouted. Luke shoved Mei forward.

"Get out of here!" he yelled. She stumbled into the darkness. Gunshots went off, but she didn't look back. Heart racing, she ran for the nearest exit.

 **Lee**

After Luke had left with Mei, all hell broke loose. He managed to slip away and back up to the surface, knowing that Luke and Mei were supposed to appear a block down. He ran towards the building and waited. A teenage Chinese girl appeared. There was no sign of Luke.

"Mei?" he asked. She jumped.

"Luke?! But you were...wait," she paused, looking at him. "How did you change?"

"I'm not Luke," Lee said.

"Then who are you?" she asked, afraid.

"A friend of Luke's. Come on. We gotta get you out of here."

Mei didn't argue. If he was taking her to safety, then she'd follow. He led her to where two other men were waiting.

"This her?" one asked.

"Yes. Mei, meet Gunner and Doc."

"Hello."

"Where's Barney, Caesar, and Toll?" Gunner asked.

"Back down there. I'm gonna give 'em a hand," Lee said. He took off, hoping Mei was all right alone with Gunner and Doc. He wondered what had happened to Luke.

"Wait!" Mei shouted, making Lee turn around.

"What?"

"There are bombs down there," she said, pointing. Gunner, Doc, and Lee all looked at each other. They hadn't known that.

"Where?" Lee asked.

"Different points. I think they're under certain buildings," Mei answered. The images were burning in her mind. Lee hesitated. This girl obviously knew where they were, but he had orders to keep her away from danger.

"Can you put it on paper?" he asked.

"It would take a while," she replied. "Luke's down there. He doesn't know."

"All right," Lee said. This was just getting better and better.

 **Luke**

He had taken out most of them, but there were too many to fight alone. He was running through the tunnels now. He wished he still had Mei with him. He was getting lost. He found a ladder and decided to go up. When he reached the top, though, he discovered that there was a bomb attached to the ceiling. He stared at it. This just made things interesting.

"Hey, you there?" Barney's voice came into his ear. He had insisted that Luke wear one despite his efforts to not to.

"Yea," he replied. "I found a bomb."

"What?"

"Yea."

"Damn it. All right. Stanley has taken off. He's either in here still or he's out."

"I think we need to find out how many more bombs are in here and where," Luke said.

"You're right. Guess we start looking," Barney sighed.

"I think I know who can help," Luke said. If he knew Stanley, and he was starting to, Mei would have been shown where all the bombs were too.

"Is it a remote detonator?"

"No," Luke replied, looking at it carefully. "I think they wanted to be down here when they went off. Whatever they're under, it's probably important they gather it quickly."

"I'll bring the boys in."

"Bring Mei too."

"What? Are you sure?"

"Yea. She knows where they all are."

Luke briefly wondered if he was doing the right thing, but without Mei, they might never find them all in time.

* * *

 **I am having a hard time feeling motivated to write this story. It seems like a waste of time. If you are able to leave a review, I'd really appreciate it.**


	4. Disarming Bombs

**Thank you, Diane, for your review! I was so happy to see someone was enjoying this story! :D**

* * *

 **1967**

 _The man watched as Lee was taken by a very hardened looking man. He felt a little bad that the brothers were being split up, but it had to be this way. Luke started to cry as though he knew his brother was gone._

 _"Shh," the man soothed. "Yours is coming soon." After an hour, another man who looked like he'd seen hell and back came to pick up the baby._

 _"He'll be a machine," he chuckled._

 _"Just make sure he learns how to keep himself safe."_

 _"No worries. You won't want to cross paths with him by the time we're done with him."_

 **Present (2016)-Lee**

"You're serious?" Lee asked when Barney told him.

"Yea. He wants one or two of us up here following to alert the buildings those bombs are under."

"All right."

Lee thought this was a very bad idea, but he wasn't about to argue with Barney. He went back to Gunner and Doc.

"Did you find him?" Mei asked hopefully.

"He's all right. He wants you to go down there and help him find the rest of the bombs," Lee explained. Mei shivered, but she knew without her, they might be too late.

"Okay," she nodded. Gunner and Doc flanked her as they followed Lee to where Barney was waiting.

"Who's staying up?" Barney asked.

"I will," Doc shrugged. Gunner agreed as well.

"Let's hope we get to them before Stanley does," Barney said, putting his hand on Mei's back and escorting her down into the tunnels.

 **Elsewhere**

"Ma'am?"

"Yes?"

"I think we've found them."

She sat up and leaned forward, staring at her assistant.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Drones don't lie." He slid the photos across her desk to show her. She peered at them, noticing the feeling in her stomach she was experiencing. The thing was, they looked so much like _him_ that she shivered.

"Bring them to me," she ordered, looking back up at her assistant.

"Got it," he nodded, heading back out. She leaned back in her chair. A lot had changed. She wasn't going to hide anymore. She needed them to help her finish this so that not only she could rest easy again but so that the world could too.

 **Luke**

He was leaning against the wall when Barney came along with Mei. Lee was behind him.

"Luke," she said, hugging him tightly.

"I'm sorry for bringing you into this," he apologized, hugging her back.

"No, I want to help. I'm not a little kid anymore," she said, pulling back. "I know where they all are."

"Do you happen to know what buildings they're under?" Barney asked.

"No. He didn't show me that," she shook her head.

"Stay close to me," Luke ordered. "He's still down here."

"Okay," she nodded. Luke hoped that they could find them all before it was too late.

 **Lee**

They were walking carefully and watching as Toll would disarm the bombs Mei led them to. After disarming three, they felt a vibration. They all looked at each other, feeling a bit anxious.

"There's been an explosion," Gunner's voice came into their ears. "You guys all right?"

"Yea. Where was it?" Barney countered.

"Looks like a bank about five blocks from the White House," Gunner answered.

"The White House?" Lee said. He had a very bad feeling suddenly.

"It's a distraction," Luke advised, listening.

Barney thought for a moment, and he knew Luke was right.

"It'll make police go there and all focus be on that spot, right?" Mei asked, getting it.

"Yup. All these other bombs are probably laid out so anyone chasing them will get stuck," Luke finished. "They're not under buildings. They're under streets."

"What's the plan?" Lee asked Barney, seeing his brain was working overtime.

"Gunner, you and Doc meet us down here. Lee and I will go with you to find Stanley. Toll, you stay with Mei and Luke and finish disarming."

"Sounds good, boss," Gunner said. "Over and out."

"And me?" Caesar asked.

"Keep an eye on the door. No one else comes in or out, got it?"

"Got it."

"You good with that?" Barney asked Luke, who nodded.

"How will you find him?" Mei asked. "You don't know the layout. I do."

Lee knew this was very true, but he didn't know what to tell her. There was no way she was coming when there was going to be imminent gunfire.

"Do you know how to get there from here?" Barney asked her. She nodded. He pulled out a piece of paper.

"It'll take forever," she started.

"Just write left, right, or straight," he instructed. "We'll figure out the rest."

Mei took the pen and paper and started to write. When she was finished, she handed it back to Barney.

"Thanks, hon," he smiled. To Lee. "Ready?"

"Let's find him," Lee nodded.

"Good luck," Toll said.

 **Luke**

He could sense that Mei was worried about the others. They had disarmed two more bombs when Barney's voice came through.

"We've found him. Hanging back for now to see what he's up to. How's it going with the bombs?"

"Three left," Luke replied. They were walking carefully through whatever it was that was on the ground.

"Good. We'll do our best to take him out. See you on the other side."

"You bet."

"Are they okay?" Mei asked.

"They're fine," Luke answered. She stopped suddenly.

"Here," she said, looking up. Sure enough, another bomb was strapped to the ceiling. Toll climbed up to disarm it, but then he paused.

"What's wrong?" Luke asked.

"It's...it's a remote one," Toll said, looking at it. "And it's bigger than the others."

"What does that mean?" Mei asked.

"Hey, Barney," Luke said.

"Yea?"

"Hold off. If he gets attacked, he's gonna detonate this one. It's remote."

"Can Toll disarm it?"

Toll shook his head slowly.

"Not with certainty," he said. "I've never seen one like this. I would be afraid of blowing us all to bits."

"Leave it and find the last two. We'll wait," Barney said. Mei felt panic then. What if the other two were like this one? Luke was looking up and biting his cheek. She knew that meant he was thinking.

"What?" she asked.

"Why such a fancy bomb for here?" he pondered. Toll looked for an exit, and he found one but only just. He tried to push it up, but it was too heavy. Luke climbed up to join him, and together they pushed it open. Mei watched from the ground. Luke and Toll looked around, and suddenly, Luke knew where they were.

"It's the FBI headquarters," he said.

"Stan's gonna take the whole thing out?" Toll asked. "Makes sense I guess. Keeps them from helping the police."

"He's probably put some under the police station too," Luke mused.

"This guy is really starting to piss me off," Toll noted. They put the piece back in place and climbed down.

"What are we going to do?" Mei asked.

"Notify them," Luke told her. "They can take care of it or at least evacuate."

"I'll make the call," Toll said, pulling out his phone. He shook it. "Damn, no signal."

"Let's head out from another exit point," Luke suggested. "Get the hell out of here in one piece." He kept a hand on Mei's shoulder as they hurried back. He was deathly afraid of losing her.


	5. Stan's Plan

**Thank you again, Diane, for reviewing! :)**

* * *

 **1979**

 **Lee**

 _He filed in behind the other boys to the lunchroom. He was feeling tired and sore from that morning's sparring. His mind was also preoccupied with why he didn't have a family, which was what got him beaten up worse than usual. He sat, holding his head in his hands. The shiner on his left eye was starting to throb._

 _"Hey, loser," his opponent sniggered, elbowing the back of his head as he passed. Lee didn't react. What was the point? Why was he even here? Anytime he tried to ask the question about his family, he either got yelled at or told to get lost before he was pounded on. Lee was starting to think he didn't have a family. No one here seemed to, but he was the only one who cared as to why they didn't. They weren't allowed out in public very often, and one time, Lee ran away only to be dragged back and beaten, so he never tried again. This was his life. He'd never felt so alone.  
_

 **Luke  
**

 _He stared down his opponent, fists clenched. Their trainer was egging them on. Luke ducked a swing and came back with a swift uppercut that knocked the other boy down flat on his back.  
_

 _"Well done!" the trainer crowed. "Luke, you're gonna be unstoppable."_

 _Luke only smiled. He thought of the trainer as a type of father figure. He'd only asked once about whether or not he had parents, but he was told that they were dead, that he had been rescued as a baby. He never thought much else about it. Luke waited for his opponent to get back up, but it became apparent that the boy didn't want to get hurt anymore.  
_

 _"Clean up for dinner," the trainer instructed, and Luke obeyed. There were only six other boys here, and he had a decent relationship with them.  
_

 _"I'll wipe that smirk off your face when it's our turn," Alex said, nudging Luke as he passed. He'd been watching the sparring.  
_

 _"You can try," Luke taunted. They grinned at each other. Out of all the boys, Alex was his closest friend.  
_

 **Present (2016)-Lee**

"What do we do, boss?" Gunner asked Barney as they kept Stanley and his crew in their sights.

"We gotta wait for Luke and them to get out first and warn the feds," Barney answered. "Then it's showtime."

"Sally wants to play," Doc said, rubbing his fingers on the blades of his knives.

"You'll get your chance," Barney told him, shaking his head.

Lee was quiet. He was busy thinking about what Stanley would want from the White House. Who would be stupid enough to try and break into a place so heavily protected? None of it made any sense.

"We're out," Toll's voice came. "Luke's calling the feds to warn them."

"All right. When he's done, let us know," Barney replied.

"Will do."

"I miss Yin," Gunner sighed.

"Why?" Doc asked.

"Cos he's small enough he doesn't have to hunch over like I do," Gunner complained.

"You didn't have to come down here," Barney pointed out.

"And miss out on the fun? No way," Gunner shook his head.

Lee tuned out the continued chatter. He was now thinking about how it was even possible that he had a twin and didn't know about it.

 **Luke  
**

"All right," Luke said, hanging up. "They laughed at me first until they found it. They've got their bomb crew on it. Tell your partner he can go ahead."

"Is that a good idea? What if they don't disarm the bombs first?" Mei asked, worried.

"We can't risk them getting any closer to their goal."

"They'll get lost," Mei told him.

"How so?" Toll asked, curious.

"They needed me to remember all the exit points and turns. They won't get far without me. They didn't take the maps with them...they were relying on my memory," Mei finished. Luke and Toll looked at each other.

"Then why go ahead with it if they don't have a back up plan?" Toll mused.

 **Stanley  
**

He was still fuming that the girl had been snatched from him. He was using this as a test run for future projects, and it had failed miserably. He looked at his GPS. Did they really think he'd come down here without a back up plan? He didn't want to waste his time with the stupid GPS when he had a human computer helping, but without her, he had to.

"Here," one of his crew members whispered. Stanley watched as they started drilling. Three other members got dressed in Secret Service outfits they had managed to mimic. It would be so easy to snatch the President's child. He was gonna get very rich. It was just too bad he lost the other kid too.

 **Elsewhere**

"What do you want us to do, ma'am?" he asked. "They look like they're in the middle of something."

"Let them finish," she answered. "Then we'll grab them."

"They won't kill us?"

"They can try."

 **Lee  
**

"Let's go," Barney said. He led the way, and Lee followed right behind. Gunner and Doc closed the gap. They could hear drilling noises up ahead. Lee finally caught sight of the pretend Secret Service agents. He then realized what Stan was up to.

"He's gonna kidnap someone," he said to Barney.

"He thinks he is," Barney responded back. They got into position, and Barney whistled. Heads spun and shouts started. The Expendable team wasted no time firing off shots and knives. Stanley took off, knowing he wouldn't survive. Lee chased after him. He killed three men on his way by, and he hauled ass after the shadow of Stanley.

 **Luke  
**

He didn't like being out of the action, but he also didn't want to leave Mei alone. From the shouts and whoops coming through the comm system, he could tell the team was doing well without him. What interested him more was the car parked a block away. He kept his eye on it, wondering if it was for Stan or if it was something else entirely.

"Hey," he said to Toll suddenly. "Can you take Mei and get out of here?"

"Why?" Toll asked.

"Just do it," Luke replied.

"I'm not leaving you," Mei argued. Luke turned her to face him and looked at her seriously.

"I don't think this is over, and I want you far away from here as possible. Toll's a good guy. You'll be safe with him. I'll come get you when it's safe."

"What if you don't come back?" she asked, her voice a whisper. Tears were in her eyes, but they didn't fall. Luke knew she worked hard not to get emotional.

"I'll come back," he promised. "Now go."

"She'll be safe," Toll nodded at him as Luke turned to look at him. Mei hugged Luke hard then, and he almost regretted sending her away, but he knew she couldn't stay here.

"Goodbye," she said, pushing away and walking ahead of Toll, who followed. Luke watched them go, and then he turned back to the waiting car.

 **Lee  
**

He caught Stanley by the scruff of his neck close to an exit point. Stanley shrieked as they fell together, Lee with the advantage. It was satisfying to punch someone in the face, especially when that someone was trying to commit terror. Stanley eventually managed to kick Lee off, and he landed hard on his back. They fought and rolled and wrestled, and Lee was getting impatient. He hadn't counted on Stanley being so tough. After what felt like hours, Lee finally had Stanley in a death grip against the wall of the tunnel.

"You gonna kill me, mate?" Stanley mocked.

"Just wound you," Lee answered, knocking him out. The feds would deal with him. He looked up at the manhole and sighed. Stanley was heavy.

"You done?" Barney's voice came into his ear.

"Yea. Heading up," he replied.

"Good. We got the rest. See you up there."

Lee grunted as he picked up Stanley and started to climb.

* * *

 **Things are going to get a little more interesting ;)**


	6. Madeline

**Thank you again, Diane, for reviewing! I hope you like this chapter :)**

* * *

 **2001**

 **Lee**

 _He was finished with the SAS, but he needed to do something. He had so much talent, and it would be wasted if he simply got a job as a salesman or something. He was sitting in a bar one evening when he saw a black haired man sitting and drinking alone. He had a grisly appearance to him, and Lee wondered if he was a veteran too. He made his way over, curious.  
_

 _"Drink?" he asked, gesturing. The man looked at him suspiciously._

 _"Who's asking?"_

 _"Lee."_

 _"Lee who?"_

 _"Christmas," Lee answered. It was a name he'd given himself when he joined the SAS. No one had ever told Lee what his real last name was, so he used his favorite holiday.  
_

 _"Lee Christmas, huh?" the man chuckled. "So why do you want to have a drink with me?"_

 _"Because you seem like someone who might know how to help me out," Lee answered._

 _"With what?"_

 _"I've got talent."_

 _"Everyone's got that," the man snorted.  
_

 _"Special talent," Lee emphasized. He pulled out a knife.  
_

 _"Whoa," the man said, putting up his hand. "You don't wanna do that."_

 _Lee ignored him and threw it all the way across the room where it hit the bull's eye of the dart board. People were staring at them now._

 _"Huh," the man said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.  
_

 _"Do you know of someone who'd hire me?" Lee asked, still standing there and waiting. The man looked at him then._

 _"I sure do."_

 _"Who?"_

 _"Me."_

 _Lee's face broke out into a wide grin._

 _"Barney Ross," the man said, offering his hand. "Welcome to the Expendables."_

 **Luke  
**

 _"Well this is exciting," Alex said as their plane landed.  
_

 _"What is?" Luke asked._

 _"New York City."_

 _"It's just another place, Alex. I'm not a fan of being someone's puppet," Luke finished. He really didn't. This guy, Danny, sounded like a pain in the ass.  
_

 _"Typical Luke," Alex tutted. "So focused on the job that he doesn't enjoy life."_

 _"Without us, there wouldn't be life to enjoy," Luke retorted. He knew what his job was. He was an assassin. He was sent here to clean up the city. When they finally landed and got into a cab, he stopped thinking. They passed Ground Zero, and he shivered a little. So many souls lost. It angered him.  
_

 _"What a mess," Alex murmured, seeing it too. Luke had to turn away after a moment. He wasn't usually someone who felt anything, and he wanted to keep it that way. Assassin's don't have feelings.  
_

 **Present (2016)-Luke  
**

He didn't have long to wait after Mei and Toll left before he was approached. The three men standing before him looked menacing, but Luke had faced worse. He'd also killed worse.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Come with us," the leader gestured.

"No."

"It would be better for you if you come nicely," the leader insisted.

"Is that so?" Luke challenged. The others gripped their guns tightly, getting ready to fight.

"Stop," a woman's voice said, making them all turn to face her. Luke had never seen a woman like this before. She stood tall and proud, her brown hair in a tight bun. She was dressed like an assassin and heavily armed. She looked to be in her early sixties.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Luke demanded. She smiled at him.

"A favor," she answered.

"I've done enough favors in my lifetime. I'm retired," Luke snorted.

"Just this last one, and then you can disappear," she said. "It was hard to find you."

"I don't like to be bothered."

"I know. You get that from me," she responded. He looked at her, puzzled.

"What?"

"Come along," she waved. Luke debated on what to do, but she didn't look like she was threatening. In the end, his curiosity won.

 **Lee  
**

"Uurrgh," he groaned, tossing Stanley up and out of the hole before climbing out after him, panting. He covered the manhole again and quickly bound Stanley before he came to.

"Took you long enough," Barney said, approaching. Lee rolled his eyes.

"The guy's a thousand pounds," he complained. "I went as fast as I could."

"Yea, yea," Barney smirked. They hauled him up together and dragged him to the waiting police car.

"Where's Luke?" Lee asked once they handed Stanley over and walked away.

"Dunno. I imagine he took off with the girl," Barney shrugged.

"Toll's missing," Caesar said, joining them. Gunner and Doc were standing by, watching.

"What?" Barney asked.

Lee felt a little worried then. What had happened?

"I'll scout," he said, moving forward. Barney just nodded as he went the other way. Lee wondered if they had missed something, if the underground expedition had been a decoy for something else going on up here. He came across a car parked, idling. He stopped short, getting a sinking feeling. He gripped his knife as he approached.

"Hello," a woman said, rolling down her window. "Do you mind popping in for a chat?"

"No," Lee shook his head.

"You're gonna be a hard one, aren't you?" she asked, sighing. Before Lee could answer, he was wacked on the back of the neck. Everything went dark.

 **Barney  
**

They finally found Toll holed up in a motel room waiting for them. Mei was staring blankly out the window.

"What's going on?" Barney asked.

"Luke asked me to keep her safe. He went off to do something," Toll shrugged.

"Do what?" Barney demanded.

"No idea."

"That's just great," Barney muttered. "Lee? Hey, Lee? I found him. He's with the girl."

There was no response.

"Lee?" Barney tried again. The others all looked at each other.

"Now what?" Barney groaned.

"Where's Luke?" Mei asked. "He said he'd be with you."

"He's not," Barney answered. "Something's up."

"There was a car parked up the street from the tunnel place," Toll told him.

"You tell me that now?! Come on," Barney urged, going back out. They approached the front of the store, but the car was long gone.

"Well, it looks like they were waiting for Lee," Doc noted.

"And Luke," Toll chimed in.

"Who would want both of them?" Barney asked, confused. Mei stood there looking scared. Barney wanted to help her feel better, but he didn't know what to say.

 **Luke & Lee-Later  
**

Lee opened his eyes, groaning. He was on the floor, and the woman from before was sitting in front of him.

"Nice nap?" she asked. Lee moved to sit up, feeling a little dizzy.

"Was that really necessary?" he asked.

"I didn't want a scene," she answered airily. "Your brother was more cooperative."

"What?" Lee asked, looking. Luke was indeed sitting in the room as well, smirking at him.

"It's so nice to see you again," the woman said. Her voice had a hint of melancholy to it.

"Again, who are you?" Luke asked. She still hadn't answered that question. She sat up straight then, looking at both of them.

"I'm Madeline," she replied. "Madeline Miller."

"What do you want with us?" Lee asked, finally seeing her clearly. He sat down beside Luke.

"I have someone I need taken out, and I can't do it by myself," she answered.

"I think Lee is more specifically asking why the two of us," Luke commented. "He has a whole team of mercenaries. Why not ask them to help?"

"Because it's your father," Madeline said abruptly. Both Luke and Lee froze.

"What?" Lee asked.

"Damion Black," Madeline went on. "He's a notorious killer, a human trafficker, and has committed war crimes. He needs to go."

"We don't have a father," Luke told her. "He's dead."

"He's not," Madeline shook her head.

"And how would you know?" Lee demanded.

"Because," Madeline said, breathing in deeply. "I'm your mother."

* * *

 **Can you feel the suspense getting thicker? lol. Sorry 'bout the cliffhanger. As always, I appreciate a review!**


	7. Making the Decision

**Diane, you rock with the reviews! Thank you!**

 **Just a heads up that from this chapter to the end of the story, I am activating a trigger warning due to action scenes and such. I try not to get too detailed, but you never know. Happy reading!**

* * *

 **1967**

 _Madeline mourned the loss of her sons. She felt as though her broken heart would never heal. She hated the fact that Damion threatened to kill them all. She hated herself for ever thinking she could love that man. She hated that he had charmed her so well and fooled her in the first place. Now, it was no secret that he was still looking for her. She hoped her boys were safe where they were. She hoped they would never meet him. Her anger fueled her. She started boxing and kick boxing. She started going to the shooting range. She wanted to be strong for when she saw Damion again because she knew that one day, she would indeed see that bastard again.  
_

 **Present (2016)-Luke & Lee**

They stared at this woman who was claiming to be their mother. She waited patiently for their response.

"No way," Lee said first.

"Way," she nodded.

"How old are you?" Luke asked.

"Not that it is any of your business, but I am 66."

Luke quickly did the math, and he realized if she was their mother, she had them at age 17.

"Why can't you take him out yourself?" Lee asked, changing the subject. Madeline looked down and then back up at them.

"I tried," she said softly.

 **2000**

 _Madeline had finally found him. It had taken long enough, but it would soon be over. Everything was in place according to plan. She tightened her fists, ready. When Damion walked through the door underneath her, she dropped.  
_

 _He never saw it coming. She was elated at first, thinking she would actually win this fight. When he regained his bearings, she realized he was stronger than she was. They fought for about ten minutes. Madeline held her own surprisingly well until he sliced her with his knife. She fell, crying out. That was when he got the best of her. She figured it was all over when he bent down to her ear._

 _"I know who you are," he whispered. "And you failed." She closed her eyes, waiting for the final blow, but gunshots from her fellow team member took out the knife in his hand. She managed to crawl away to safety while Damion fought off her other teammates. She was found by another member, who carried her out of the building. She felt anger and rage when she was in the hospital healing far away. She had wasted her chance. All those years of training and practising...for nothing. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw his, and it infuriated her. One day she would win. She had to. But she realized she couldn't do it alone. She needed help.  
_

 **Present (2016)**

"You tried?" Lee repeated, looking at her puzzled.

"He is too powerful for me alone. If the three of us went to take him down, we'd win," she said.

"What makes you think that we would help you? Because you're telling us you're our mother?" Luke scoffed.

"Stanley is part of the trafficking ring, Luke," Madeline said softly. "What did you think he was going to do with Mei when he was finished with her?"

Luke clenched his fists. He hated that this woman knew how to play him.

"It's you I've been tracking," Madeline went on. "Ever since the incident in New York City. I knew you were my son, but then you disappeared again. I just found you again, and to my surprise, I found your brother too."

"Why did you give us away then?" Lee demanded. "If you need us so badly?"

"He was going to kill you," she answered quietly. "He made that promise to me. I had to keep you safe."

"Keep us safe? By sending us to be trained as killers?" Luke laughed.

"You can protect yourselves, right? You can keep yourselves safe. That's what I wanted. I thought you would be together like that man promised, but he lied. He separated you. You were supposed to have each other."

"Well, we didn't," Lee said. He was feeling angry. His whole life he believed he had no family, and here was his birth mother staring at him after 49 years.

"I'm very sorry about that," she offered.

"Sorry doesn't cut it, ma'am," Luke snapped. He was just as angry. "We've lived our whole lives being expendable to other people. Do you call that being safe? Cos I don't."

"I don't know what else to say. I'm a shit mother, yes, I know. I can't change what I did. You've made it this far without ever meeting him, so count your lucky stars. He's a monster, and he needs to be put down. Now, you're either with me or you're not." She glared at the two of them fiercely.

"What if we say no?" Lee asked.

"Then he runs free wreaking havoc on this planet. You think Mei is safe right now? She won't be soon. He's ruthless. Your meddling with Stanley has alerted him to your presence. He will take you out, but if we get the jump on him first, he will be caught off guard. Either way, you're gonna have to face him, and it won't be pretty."

Madeline let the words sit with them as she stood and walked to the other room. She knew they would be upset with her, but she wanted them to realize the seriousness of this mission. Damion was after the president's daughter, that was why he hired Stanley. For him to have heard of Mei, that meant Damion probably knew who Luke was already. What he didn't know was that Lee existed. It was a big part of her plan.

 **Barney  
**

He was feeling concerned as to what had happened to Lee and Luke. It seemed out of the ordinary. Mei was pacing the hotel room. They had gone back there to reconvene and make a plan.

"Do you think this whole thing was planned?" Toll asked. "To get the two of them together?"

"I'm starting to think so," Barney agreed.

"So what do we do?" Mei cut in, crossing her arms.

"Find out where that car went," Barney answered.

 **Luke & Lee**

"Do you think it's a trap?" Lee asked. Luke was looking thoughtful.

"No. I think she genuinely needs our help. If this guy really is behind what was going on tonight, then we'd be going after him anyway. Her personal vendetta is none of our business."

"The president has a daughter, doesn't he?" Lee questioned, starting to think. As soon as Madeline had said Stanley was involved with human trafficking, his mind started rolling.

"Yea."

"That's what Stanley was going after tonight," Lee reasoned. "That's why he took Mei. It wasn't just to help with the maze of tunnels. It was to use against the other girl, to scare her into thinking they'd kill Mei if she didn't cooperate."

"Then that means he's after me," Luke said, realizing.

"Well, everyone's heard of your stint in New York City. I just didn't know you were...you," Lee finished, gesturing.

"So he doesn't know about you," Luke went on, thinking.

"Probably not."

"That's her plan," Luke said, getting it. "You are the so called secret weapon of this whole thing. He doesn't know I have a twin."

"You're doing this, aren't you?" Lee asked, sighing.

"Call your gang. Tell them the new plan," Luke instructed, getting up. He found Madeline in the other room looking out the window. She turned to face him when he came in.

"Well?" she asked.

"We're in, but we're gonna need Lee's team."

"All right," she smiled. "If that will work, then let's do it."

Luke turned to see Lee standing in the doorway. He could tell his brother had made up his mind too.

"I'm doing this, but that doesn't mean we're good," Lee said to Madeline. "I'm still pissed at you."

"Fine," she agreed. "I deserve that."

"Then let's get moving," Luke said, clapping his hands together.

 **Barney  
**

His phone rang, and he answered to find Lee on the other end. He stood and went outside, not wanting to get everyone else excited.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"If you're interested, we need some help in taking down the leader of this whole operation," Lee said.

"Who?"

"Damion Black. He hired Stanley to kidnap the president's daughter and traffic her. He's after Luke, which is why he had Stanley take Mei. We think he's figured out that Luke is his son."

"Whoa, what?" Barney interrupted.

"Yea. This asshole is our daddy dearest," Lee sighed.

"Hang on, I thought you didn't have a family?" Barney asked.

"Turns out I do. Dear ol' mum filled us in."

"Mum?!"

"She's a real treat. I think you'll like her," Lee went on. "Anyway, are you in or out?"

Barney's head was spinning with all this news at such a short time, but he knew the answer to the question without having to think about it. He'd do anything to help out his friend.

"We're in."

* * *

 **If you have time to leave a review, I'd greatly appreciate it! :)**


	8. Damion

**2012**

 _Madeline watched the news. She saw the chaos happening in New York City. When they posted the photo of Luke Wright, her heart stopped. She leaped to her feet and moved to the TV, reaching out to touch it. That was her son. She knew it. She scrambled for her phone, calling her partner._

 _"I've found him," she gushed._

 _"Found who?"_

 _"One of my sons. Luke Wright. He's in New York."_

 _"Then we better move."_

 _"I'll be right there," she replied, hanging up. She felt her heart race now. She was finally going to find her son. When she did, perhaps he would be willing to help her take down Damion. She could only hope._

 _..._

 _Damion saw the mess that was going on in New York. He shook his head. Gang wars gone bad. He was half paying attention when they talked about the genius Chinese girl. His interest became peaked when they said what she was capable of. Then he saw the photo of the man who had taken her, and he froze. Luke Wright. He peered at the screen. This man resembled himself in a lot of ways. He closed his eyes, remembering what that bitch, Madeline, looked like. When he opened them again, he could see her eyes in Luke._

 _"Holy shit," he muttered. At last, he'd found his son. At last, he'd finish what he promised to do. He reached for the phone. It was time to get things started._

 **Present (2016) Luke & Lee **

"So why wait four years to do this?" Lee asked.

"Because I disappeared," Luke answered logically. "I am very good at being a ghost, you know."

"Sure," Lee said.

"Can we trust your team?" Madeline asked him then. Lee stared at her.

"I trust my team with my life," he answered.

"That's all I need to know," she nodded. She signaled to her partner, James, to bring the rest of her team in.

"So what's the plan?" Luke asked.

"Make yourself an easy target for Damion, and we swarm him," Madeline answered.

"Seriously?" Luke asked, incredulous.

"He wants you. He doesn't know about all of us. Should be a walk in the park," she dismissed. Luke stared at her as though she'd lost her damn mind.

"Makes sense," Lee shrugged.

"Oh sure it does. You're not the sitting target," Luke scowled. He turned to Madeline. "I will not get Mei involved in this. She doesn't need to be scared she's going to die."

"Why don't we ask her then if she wants to be involved?" Madeline suggested when knocking sounded on the door. Her partner, James, opened it to reveal Barney and the others with Mei.

"Luke!" she cried, rushing to him. He grunted in pain as she flung herself into his arms.

"She really cares about you, man," Caesar said.

"I know," Luke responded.

"I don't believe we've met," Madeline said, reaching to shake Barney's hand.

"Barney Ross," he replied, shaking it. "This is Toll Road, Hale Caesar, Doc, and Gunner."

"Pleasure," Gunner said, smiling at her. Madeline gave a tight nod in response. She didn't have time for romantic interests.

"So what are we doing?" Barney asked. She filled them all in, leaving out the part about Mei being bait with Luke. He met her eyes, knowing she wanted him to bring it up. He sighed.

"There's one more thing," he said. Mei looked at him, puzzled.

"What is it?" Barney asked. Luke looked back at Mei.

"She needs us to be bait," Luke told her. "To get this guy in the open, we have to let him find us." Just looking at her he knew she was afraid.

"Is that really necessary?" Barney asked Madeline, who nodded.

"I don't think it is," Luke challenged. "I think he just wants me, so why let Mei be in danger at all?"

"You really think he just wants you?" Madeline asked. "You're kidding yourself, Luke."

"No, I'm not. It's me he wants, so it's me he'll get."

"Luke, no..." Mei started.

"If it will make this all go away, then yes," Luke told her. "I made a promise to you, and I will keep it."

"What happens to me when you're doing this then?" Mei asked.

"You can stay with one of us," Barney answered for him.

"As long as it's Toll," she said. She liked him, and he also made her feel safe. She wasn't sure about the others yet.

"Deal," Toll agreed.

"Okay, now that we're clear on that, can we get started with the plan?" Lee cut in.

"Of course," Madeline smiled.

 **Later-Luke**

He felt ridiculous. This was not the way he was used to doing things. The first part of the plan consisted of him running around "looking" for Mei. They wanted Damion to think she was lost. They knew he'd swoop in then.

"Mei!" he shouted for good measure. Before too long, he noticed someone was shadowing him. So Madeline had been right. They were after him. He steeled himself. Bring it on.

 **Lee**

"You really think this will work?" he asked Madeline as they watched Luke's live feed. He had an eye cam on.

"It will. Damion can't resist an opportunity."

"Why did you go out with this guy if he is so evil?" Lee asked, confused. She blushed.

"He hid it really well."

Lee just shook his head. Barney, Doc, and Gunner were getting set up. Caesar was monitoring Luke's shadow on the street. Toll was far away with Mei. Luke was making him a little motion sick with all his head twisting. Eventually, Lee had to look away.

"They got him," Madeline said after a moment. Lee looked to see the monitor was black. Obviously they'd bagged his head.

"Caesar, you got eyes?" he asked.

"Yea, man. It wasn't pretty."

Lee winced. A part of him was glad he wasn't playing that role.

 **Mei**

"So you're really a genius?" Toll asked. They were playing cards. Mei couldn't help but smile even though she was crazy worried about Luke.

"I am in a way, yes. SNAP!" she hollered, making him jump.

"Damn it," he muttered while she collected his cards, laughing.

"You're too slow," she teased.

"At cards maybe. I'm not slow with anything else," Toll smirked. "So, what all are you good at? I mean, I know you're good at directions without a map. What else?"

Mei held back her snort of laughter. It amused her how much everyone was so fascinated by what she can do.

"Here," she said, handing him the cards. "Spread them out face up as many as you like."

"Ookay," he said, doing so. He made five rows of ten, leaving out two to make it even. He watched as Mei briefly studied it.

"Shuffle them up and give them to me," she instructed. He obeyed. He then watched, flabbergasted, as she laid out all the cards again in the exact order he'd put them.

"Holy shit," he said, jaw gaping.

"That's what I can do," she finished, looking at him.

"No wonder all the bad guys want you," Toll said. "Geez."

Mei didn't say anything. She knew her gift was a curse. She would feel responsible if something happened to Luke right now because of it.

 **Luke**

When they ripped the hood off his head, he found himself in an abandoned building with high windows. He was flanked by two armed men, and they were standing in front of an older looking man, who was examining Luke.

"The infamous terror of New York City," he said after a moment. "You don't look so scary."

"I haven't been threatened yet," Luke said calmly.

The old man burst out laughing.

"You're a lot like me," he said once he regained his composure. Luke kept his gaze level.

"I wouldn't know. I don't know who you are."

"Ah, yes. I haven't properly introduced myself. I am Damion Black. I'm your father."

"Hang on," Luke said, hamming it up. He made his face look speechless. "You're what now?!"

"Your father. I know it's a bit of a shock to you. You see, you were stolen from me before you were born."

"By who?" Luke asked, playing into it.

"Your mother. She thought I was going to kill her, so she disappeared, gave birth to you, and then gave you away. I never found her again, but I was lucky enough to find you, thanks to your stint in New York."

"I've been getting a lot of kudos for that lately," Luke nodded.

"Then you disappeared again, but here you are once more. I'm sorry that Mei is missing. Is she your daughter?"

"She's a friend."

"I see," Damion frowned. Who had a teenage girl as a friend? It seemed odd. "Anyhow, my men are looking for her for you."

"How come?" Luke asked.

"I need you to do me a favor," Damion went on, ignoring him. "There's this team tracking me, and I need them taken out."

"You want me to join you, like you're Darth Vader or something?" Luke asked, snorting.

"That's funny," Damion laughed. "No, no. I just need your help."

"Do I really have a choice?" Luke asked. Damion paused.

"You're smart," he said thoughtfully. "Of course you are. No, Luke, you don't really get a choice. You see, I'm better than you, and we both know that I will use Mei as leverage to make you do what I want."

"You've found her then?" Luke tried not to feel worried. He knew Toll was good, and he had promised to keep Mei safe. Damion looked at his watch.

"In about five minutes, yes."

Luke stared at him. He had no idea what was going to happen next.

 **Lee**

"What's happening?" he asked Madeline. Barney was already calling Toll. "How does he know where Mei is?"

"I don't know," Madeline answered, concerned. She had been so careful. Then again, they were dealing with a mastermind.

"Caesar, come in," Barney said. Lee looked over at him. If Damion's men had gotten Caesar, then there was a high chance they'd gotten Toll. Gunner shifted nervously as well.

"Anything?" Lee asked Barney, who shook his head.

"Nothing," he replied. He looked worried then.

 **Mei**

She was in the bathroom when she heard shouts and gunfire. She froze. How had they found them? She picked up the gun Toll had given her that she had set on the counter. Shaking, she gently opened the door. She saw Toll hiding behind the bed firing off shots towards the door. There were three men.

"She's not here!" Toll was shouting. Mei pulled back out of sight then.

"We saw her come in here. Save your lies!" the one man shouted back. Mei didn't know what to do. There was no window to crawl out of this time to save herself. The three men burst into the hotel room then, and she saw Toll fall from a gunshot wound. She yanked open the door, screaming. They turned as she started firing her gun. She shot the one, and the other two ducked for cover.

"Stop resisting or we will kill Luke," one shouted at her. Her brain registered the request, and she knew it was a solid threat. She looked at Toll gasping and groaning on the floor. She made her decision and stepped out, holding her gun up and her other hand up in surrender.

"No, Mei," Toll started. The other man fired his gun at him again, and Toll went quiet. Mei squeezed her eyes shut tightly. She felt so bad for Toll. She couldn't stand it.

"Come along then," the leader said, taking her gun while the other man seized her. Mei desperately hoped that Luke wouldn't be angry with her for not staying safe.

 **Barney**

"This is bad," Barney said when Toll didn't answer.

"What do we do?" Gunner asked. Barney sighed.

"I gotta go check in on Toll."

"Barney!" Caesar's voice shouted into their ears. Lee winced from the volume.

"Caesar, where are you?" Barney asked. "Are you all right?"

"Yea, man. I just got to the hotel. Toll is down bad. I've wrapped up his wounds as best as I can. I need help."

"I'm on my way," Doc said, grabbing his bag. Being the medic of the group, he always had his "shit" as he called it.

"How did they find her?" Barney asked.

"This guy has been tailing all of us. I nearly got killed myself, but I caught them in time. My gut told me to come here. Damion is gonna know he's missing three men soon enough. Four if you include the one that's dead here with Toll."

Barney looked at Madeline, who was biting her nail anxiously. She met his eyes.

"Hang tight. Doc's coming. Get him to the hospital ASAP," Barney finished, signing off.

"This is a lot harder than just using Luke as bait, isn't it?" Lee asked Madeline.

"He's very good at what he does," she answered.

"That's just great," Barney said angrily. "One of my men is down, probably not gonna make it, and you're sitting there telling us now that he's good at what he does?!"

"I'm sorry. If you knew how tough he was, you might not have wanted to help me," Madeline defended herself.

"Lady, we fought an entire army with just the six of us on more than one occasion, and that doesn't include all the other situations we've been in," Gunner interrupted. "We do what it takes. You should have told us."

"I'm sorry," she said, bowing her head.

"We gotta get Luke out of there," Barney said, making the decision. "Damion's gonna use Mei against him. My bet is he's coming after you, Madeline, with your own son. The ultimate revenge."

Madeline closed her eyes. She hadn't thought of that. She had been so sure this plan would work.

"Let's not sit and stew about it," Lee suggested. "We need a new plan. Now."

They put their heads together and started working. Madeline hoped she hadn't just signed her sons' death warrants.

* * *

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	9. Sane vs Insane

**Trigger warning activated for this chapter and the next one.**

* * *

Luke tried hard not to cringe when Mei was brought in kicking and shouting. Damion bent down into Luke's face and looked right in his eyes.

"I know you're watching, Mads. I've got the girl and your boy. It's over. We're coming for you," he said. Luke didn't even want to know how this guy knew all their moves.

"I'm sorry, Luke," Mei was crying.

"It's all right," he told her softly.

"So," Damion began. "Do we have a deal or no?"

"I guess we do," Luke replied. Damion gestured to his men, who freed Luke.

"First thing's first," Damion said. "The girl is tucked away for safe keeping. Say your goodbyes now."

"Luke," Mei started.

"Mei, just sit tight," Luke cut her off. "I'll see you soon."

She didn't say another word as they led her away. Luke rounded on Damion then.

"You had to bring her into this, didn't you? She's had enough shit in her life. She doesn't need this."

"Who is she to you?" Damion asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Someone who saved my life, not that it's any of your business," Luke snapped.

"Well, do this for me, and you get to save hers."

"It won't be my first time."

"Have I mentioned that I like you?" Damion asked, chuckling. Then he clapped his hands together. "Okay, so here it is. Obviously you know about Madeline. She sent you right into my arms not realizing I'd be five steps ahead of her. Now, you're going to take her out. Then you can go."

"It's that simple, huh?" Luke asked.

"Of course. I know you hate her. The resentment must be unbearable. She abandoned you and left you to survive all on your own. Now, she's gotten your girl into deep trouble."

"I'm not a fan if that's what you're implying," Luke retorted.

"Good. Then this will be easy for you."

"Just tell me the plan," Luke said. Damion's face lit up with a large grin.

"Of course. Right this way."

 **Madeline**

Seeing the terrified girl made her feel very sick to her stomach. This was not how it was supposed to go. She stood off to the side while Barney and the others formulated a new plan.

"My guess is, he doesn't know about all of us," Barney said. "He thinks he got Toll and Caesar, which is half true." The others looked solemn at this. Doc had given them an update that Toll was unconscious but alive. He was taken to the hospital. Caesar was with him since he had been compromised. Doc was on his way back.

"He definitely doesn't know about me unless he's faking it," Lee commented.

"We should strike while the iron's hot. He won't expect it."

"What about me?" Madeline asked.

"You're gonna come and see him face to face. Let him think he's won, that you're there to beg for Luke's life. Or maybe start a fight with him."

"And when he kills me? What then?" she countered.

"You must have no faith in us," Gunner said. Madeline ignored him. She kept her eyes on Barney.

"The plan is to not let you die," Barney reassured her.

"Got the location," James said from the computer. Ever since Luke was inside, he had been trying to figure out where he was. Caesar's tip off had been helpful, but if Damion knew Caesar was following him, they'd be relocated.

"Where is it?" Madeline asked.

"Some sort of abandoned warehouse," James replied.

"I see that," Madeline said sharply. "But _where_ is it?"

"Relax," he said, clicking on his laptop. He scribbled down the coordinates for her, and she took them from him.

"Time to go play, boys," she said, handing it to Barney. Although a part of her was anxious to kill Damion, the other part was scared she wouldn't be alive to see it.

 **Luke**

He didn't want to be a part of this. He hated that he got put in the middle of his parents' violent dispute. He wished that he had never gotten involved or agreed to help Madeline. This was the price you paid for sticking your nose where it didn't belong.

"Got it?" Damion asked, finishing his elaborate plan.

"Got it," Luke nodded.

"Remember, you cross me, and she disappears forever. Do I make myself clear? Her fate will be worse than death."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Luke growled. Damion handed him a gun then, and as much as Luke wanted to use it, he knew better. He needed Mei in his sight in order to do something like that. He cracked his neck. Going up against his brother was going to be tough. He hoped they all had a plan.

 **Caesar & Toll**

Caesar heard Toll before he saw his friend moving. The amount of groaning coming from him was enough to wake the dead.

"Hey, man," he said as Toll turned his head and saw him sitting there. "You scared the shit out of us."

"Where is she?" he rasped.

"You almost died, Toll," Caesar said. "You need to rest."

"Where...is...she?" Toll asked again.

"They got her, man," Caesar caved. Toll struggled to sit up. "Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa! Stay down. You're in no shape to be moving."

"I...promised..." Toll started.

"I know. We all did. Look, Barney and the crew are on it. Don't give them another heart attack all right? That's an order. Stand down," Caesar said. Toll surveyed him carefully. He knew he had been brutally shot, but he knew he had to get Mei. He had promised her.

"They won't suspect me," Toll said. "They think I'm dead."

"And you will be dead if you go back there," Caesar argued.

"Not if you go with me," Toll said with a twisted grin. He was pushing through the pain. It wasn't like he hadn't been in pain before.

"Oh, hell no," Caesar said, outraged. Toll started to unhook himself, making the monitors go off. "Toll...stop it. Dude, you're trippin'!"

"Either you help me or you go," Toll said, finishing the last one. The IV was harder to get out, but he managed. Caesar wanted to throw up just watching him. He hated needles.

"I am not helping you bust out of a hospital. That is just freaking insanity," Caesar said.

"Then move your ass," Toll said, sliding out of the bed.

"Where are you gonna go with no guns, no ammo, and no clothes?" Caesar asked. "What are you gonna do? Lift your hospital gown and flash them all? It won't blind them like you think it will."

"Shut up and trade," Toll said, giving him a meaningful look. He switched off the monitors so they would stop making noise.

"Aw come on..."

"Do it or sneak me out of here."

"Those are my only two choices?" Caesar asked. Toll nodded. "I can't believe I'm doing this..."

 **Lee**

He had to admit. His so called mother had a lot of guts. She marched ahead of James, heading for Damion. Lee and the others scattered to different positions. Lee knew they all had their hope stocked in the fact that Damion wouldn't be watching them right now. Lee climbed to the roof, taking out the guard that was posted there. He crept over to the skylight and prepped his gun. Gunner and Doc were headed for the back door while Barney plowed his way in behind Madeline. They were going with the element of surprise. It was a long shot, but it was the only shot they had. Lee opened the window a little bit so he could hear inside. He slid the barrel of his sniper rifle through the crack and looked below.

 **Luke**

He looked up when Madeline walked in with James. He looked over at Damion, who was just as surprised.

"Well," Damion said. "Looks like our job just got a whole lot easier."

"Let the girl go, Damion. It's me you have the beef with, so here I am. Finish me. They walk first," Madeline said, pointing to Luke.

"I don't think you're in the position to be ordering me around," Damion said. He walked over to her, and she jutted out her chin. Luke knew she was looking braver than she felt. He knew the feeling.

"I am not afraid of you," she said.

"You should be," Damion said softly. He threw a punch then, and it landed square on her cheek. She stumbled from the blow but didn't fall. James was held back to stop him from helping. Luke just watched. He had no idea what was going on. He presumed this was happening for a reason, but he wasn't sure.

"You wanna fight me? You wanna see who's the strongest? Come on then," Damion egged her on. Madeline shed her coat and clenched her fists, getting into a fighting stance. She and Damion began to circle each other. Luke caught sight of Barney slipping into the shadows. Fortunately, no one else noticed him because they were too busy watching the fight that was about to happen. He chanced a look up then, and he saw the barrel of a gun poking through the skylight window. So they were there. That was good news. Now, he just had to get Mei. Madeline roared then, kicking out at Damion. They punched and kicked and threw each other around the room. Luke slid backwards out of sight as they fought. No one was paying attention to him. It was time to get his girl.

 **Mei**

She was sitting in a chair waiting. She had a very bad feeling about what was going to happen. When shouts and women's screams hit their ears, she felt the hairs on her arms stand up. Something was going on. One of her guards got up and ventured to see what was going on. The other sat there watching her. She felt unnerved. The things he had told her would be done to her when they sold her rang in her mind.

"Hey, what're you-"

The other guard snapped his head to the door when the first guard's voice was cut off. Mei shrieked when the guard put the gun to her head just as Luke walked through the door.

"I'd put that down if I were you," Luke advised.

"I'm assuming from your attack that the job is not done. Move an inch, and she dies," the guard threatened. Luke gave Mei a look, one she understood. Like she had practised with Luke, She jerked back from the muzzle of the gun, catching the man off guard. Luke put two shots into his chest as Mei ducked. He came over to her after and grabbed her arm.

"Come on," he said. "We gotta go." They hurried to an exit where they were met by Damion himself.

"Going away so soon? But you'll miss the grand finale," he said. Mei screamed as a man grabbed her from Luke. Damion pointed his gun at Luke and walked him back to where Madeline was lying on the floor bleeding profusely. She looked up at Luke then, and there was sorrow in her eyes. Her diversion hadn't been enough.

"Finish her, or Mei disappears," Damion ordered. Luke clenched his jaw. A woman he barely knew and who had abandoned him or the girl who was his best friend?

"It's all right," Madeline said to him. "I understand."

"How does it feel, Mads? To be killed by your only son? Huh? Wow what a twist. I bet you never saw that coming," Damion crowed. Luke looked around and saw all his men standing there waiting. Then, chaos ensued. Gunner and Doc entered with full steam. Barney popped up from his hiding place firing, and Lee started shooting from the roof. Damion was shocked, but he quickly got his wits about him. He yanked Mei with him towards the back exit.

"Stop him!" Luke hollered. Damion was fast though. Luke skidded after him, hell bent on saving Mei. He was nothing without her. If he failed, he had no idea what would become of him.

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 **I would love to hear from you!**


	10. Endings & Beginnings

Toll loaded his gun while Caesar drove. Neither of them could believe they had actually managed to pull off escaping from a hospital. Caesar quickly bought him some clothes from the store close by, and Toll changed and started prepping for the fight as Caesar drove. He had turned on his intercom and knew where they all were. It sounded like a battle was going on, though.

"He's gone out the back with Mei," Lee's voice said. "Luke's following. What's the plan?"

"All right," Caesar said, not listening further. "You wanna save a girl, we're gonna save a girl." He stepped on the gas, and they jolted forward. Toll had a grim look on his face. He was still in much pain, and his bandages were seeping, but he was going. Nothing was going to stop him.

 **Lee**

"Go after them!" Barney ordered Lee from below. Lee pulled out his rifle and started for the edge of the roof. He climbed down and went to find the back door. Damion soon burst out of it with Mei and two other men. They headed for the building next door. Luke was not too far behind. Lee made the decision to cut them off on the other side. He started to run around the building. He hoped this would work.

 **Barney**

He hurried to Madeline while bullets still flew around their heads. She was badly injured, and he didn't want to break his promise to her. James was locked in a hand to hand combat with a guard, and Gunner and Doc were still taking down the others. Barney carried Madeline in his arms to the back where they were hidden by crates.

"That was a crazy," Barney said to her. She managed a weak smile.

"It didn't work, though."

"It almost did. Just relax and save your strength. I'll get you out of here," he promised. Madeline closed her eyes. She knew she didn't have much longer. She had lost a lot of blood.

 **Luke**

Blind fury and rage fueled him as he chased Damion. He managed to take out one of the men following, and the second took off after seeing what Luke had done to the first guy. He found himself on some sort of catwalk with Damion standing at the other end.

"Road ends here," Damion called. His voice echoed around the building. "It's your choice of how."

"You and me. Winner walks," Luke said. His heart was pounding. He had seen Damion fight. It was going to be brutal. Here he thought Alex had been brutal. The door was locked at the other end, so Mei was left to wait while Damion walked towards Luke. In seconds, they were locked in a battle. Luke took a lot of blows before managing to get some in himself. Damion was very tough. Luke's punches didn't seem to do anything to him. Luke felt a little worried now. It all came down to his winning, and he didn't know if he would.

 **Lee**

He pulled open the door and saw Luke and Damion fighting. He saw Mei crouching and watching.

"Pst," he said, making her head spin to look at him.

"Lee," she whispered.

"Come on, get out of here," Lee said. She moved to him and through the door. Lee shut it briefly.

"What about Luke?" she asked.

"I'll help him out. You go downstairs and hide somewhere. Take this," he said, handing her a gun and his intercom. "Tell them where you are, and they will come get you."

"Please save him," Mei begged.

"I'll do my best," Lee answered. "Now go. Hurry!" She obliged, rushing down the stairs. Lee took in a deep breath and opened the door again. He saw Damion standing on Luke's chest.

"This is the end, I think," he was saying. "That's too bad since I kind of liked you."

"Yoohoo," Lee said once he was close enough. Damion spun his head, and there was a moment of shock before Lee punched him right in the face. He threw him off Luke, and together, the brothers faced Damion. He was clearly blown away.

"Twins," he said. Then he recovered. "Twins! Of course. You'll be sorry..."

"Not as sorry as you're gonna be," Lee said. He and Luke struck. Damion was outnumbered now, and he knew it. The fight lasted a little longer before Luke had him by the throat and leaning over the railing.

"You messed with the wrong guy," he said to Damion. "You should have never gotten her involved."

"Go on then. Kill me," Damion hissed. "But you'll regret it."

"I don't think I will actually," Luke said. Then Damion surprised them both by head butting Luke and sending him stumbling backward. He shot Lee before kicking him in the chest, knocking him over the railing, and then he shot Luke. Lee managed to grab the floor of the catwalk, but the bullet had stunned him. He didn't think Damion realized he was wearing body armor. Luke, however, was groaning in pain. He didn't have any on.

"Your old man still has more tricks up his sleeve than you two do," Damion said, laughing. "So long, Luke. Tell your mama I said hi."

Lee swung his leg up and pulled himself back to the catwalk. He pulled out two of his knives and threw them fast and hard into the back of Damian's neck. Luke managed to move before their father fell face first to the ground. Lee wiped the sweat off his mouth and went over to Luke.

"You all right?" he asked. He saw the blood then.

"You tell me," Luke answered sarcastically. The door opened then, and Barney stood there.

"Everyone all right?" he asked.

"No. Luke's hit."

"Damion?"

"Dead," Lee answered.

"Where's Mei?" Luke asked then.

"I gave her directions to safety," Lee reassured him. He hoisted his brother to his feet. "Come on. You need medical attention." They left Damion after checking he really was dead. It was finally over.

 **Toll & Caesar **

"Hang on," Toll said. He spied two men running after Mei. Caesar slammed on the brakes, and they both got out. Toll rushed as fast as he could behind the men. He shot one, making the other turn around.

"I'm back!" Toll shouted, seeing it was the guy who had originally shot him. Surprise was on the man's face. Toll didn't wait for anything else. He shot the man dead, and winced as the pain struck him from all the activity.

"Toll?" Mei said, seeing him. She came out from behind her hiding place and rushed to him. "Toll!"

"Easy!" Toll cried as she hugged him tightly.

"You're here! I thought you were dead," she said.

"I almost was."

"And he will be when those nurses discover you broke out of the hospital," Caesar said. "But he wouldn't rest until you were safe."

"I made a promise. I keep my promises," Toll said to Mei. She smiled.

"I really appreciate it, but I think you should go back now."

"Where's the bad guy?" Toll asked.

"Lee and Luke were in there fighting him," Mei said pointing. They all looked in time to see Barney come out with Lee supporting Luke.

"Uh oh," Caesar said.

"LUKE!" Mei shrieked, rushing over to them. Caesar patted Toll's shoulder.

"He'll always be her favorite," he told him.

"I don't care. She's safe. That's all that matters," Toll replied.

"You wanna go back now?"

"Uh, yea," Toll grimaced. "I'm hurt pretty bad."

"We knew that before you left," Caesar said, exasperated. Barney approached them then.

"Toll, what the hell?" he asked.

"It was the girl," Caesar answered for Toll. "He had to make sure she was all right."

"She's fine. You need to get back to the hospital," Barney ordered. They heard sirens then.

"Sounds good," Toll nodded. Barney led the medics over to where Madeline was with Doc and Gunner, and they also loaded up Luke. Caesar put Toll back in the car and drove him back. Toll closed his eyes as they drove. He was grateful it was all over.

 **Lee**

He watched Mei pace the hospital hall while Luke was in surgery. After what felt like hours, they came to tell her he was okay. Mei rushed in to see him while Lee held back. Barney found him, and they both watched Mei and Luke talking.

"Madeline is all right," Barney informed him.

"Good for her."

"I know you're mad at her, but she is still your mother. She did this for your safety, even though it wasn't the greatest thing she could have done."

"You're siding with her then?"

"No. I'm just seeing both sides of it."

"I don't know if I want a mother. It's been a long time."

"She understands. If you ever change your mind, you can call her," Barney said, handing him a note with a number on it. Lee tucked it into his pocket. He wasn't sure if he'd read it. He didn't think he'd care about what it had to say.

 **Luke**

"I'm all right," Luke reassured Mei for the tenth time. "They've fixed me up. I can leave tomorrow."

"Are we safe now?" she asked.

"For now," he answered. "Remember what I said before."

"One day a time," Mei finished for him. "I know."

"I gotta sleep now," Luke said. "They dosed me pretty good."

"Okay. I'll be here."

"See you later," Luke smiled at her, closing his eyes.

 **Toll**

He looked up when Mei came into his room. He smiled.

"You're here," he said.

"Luke's asleep. I wanted to keep you company," Mei responded. "How are you?" She sat down beside him.

"Better. Still sore."

"Thank you for looking out for me and for coming back for me," Mei said.

"My pleasure," Toll smiled at her.

"Wanna play Snap?" she asked, pulling out the deck of cards.

"All right," he replied, sitting up. He knew she'd win anyway, but he didn't care.

 **Madeline**

She looked up when Lee entered her room. She was definitely worse for wear, and the doctor told her she was lucky to be alive. She suffered three broken ribs and multiple fractures everywhere else. The internal bleeding had almost killed her.

"You all right?" Lee asked.

"For now," she answered grimly. "Is he dead?"

"Yes."

"Thank God," Madeline said, leaning her head back. "I can rest easy now."

"So let me get something straight," Lee started. "You gave us up only to search for us later. Why not just keep us all together in the first place? You obviously hid yourself well enough that he couldn't find you."

"I regret it every day, Lee," Madeline said. "I really do. You're asking the same question I've asked myself for years. The only thing I can ask of you now is your forgiveness. I was young and naive. If I could do it over again, I would keep you both. Maybe your lives would be different."

"Maybe," Lee agreed.

"I won't blame you for never speaking to me again."

"We'll see," Lee said, moving away from the door. He knew he should have told her it was all right, that she made what she thought was the right decision at the time, but he couldn't. Not yet. Maybe one day. Barney gave him a nod as he walked past. Lee had a feeling his friend would stay in touch with her anyway.

 **A Few Days Later**

The gang were sitting around Tool's shop when Luke pulled in with Mei. Gunner clapped Luke's back as he walked past.

"This is your joint, huh?" Luke asked, looking around. "It's kind of dark."

"We're all a little dark, man," Caesar laughed. Doc smirked while Gunner guffawed. Luke smiled at this a little. Mei went over to Toll to talk to him. Luke turned to Lee.

"Well, I guess this is it," Luke said. "We'll be disappearing again."

"It was nice to meet you," Lee nodded. They shook hands.

"Thanks for saving her," Luke said.

"It's what I do," Lee shrugged. He knew how much Mei meant to Luke. He wished he had someone like that in his life.

"Are you going to keep in touch with Madeline?" Luke asked.

"I don't know yet," Lee answered.

"Me either. Maybe one day," Luke mused. Lee just nodded back. They both shared the same feeling towards their mother it seemed.

"If you ever need us, call," Barney said, handing over his card to Luke, who took it.

"I will," Luke nodded. "You're not half bad."

"Gee thanks," Barney grinned. Mei joined Luke then, having said her goodbye to Toll. She gave him her email so they could keep in touch, though.

"Well, time to hit the road," Luke said. Mei nodded.

"Take care," Lee said. Luke gave him a salute before turning to walk away. Lee watched until they were gone.

"I like having only one of you around," Barney said after. "It doesn't hurt my head so much."

Lee just shook his head, laughing. They went back to their beer and joking around. Things were back to the way they were, and Lee liked it that way. He had a feeling, though, that he would probably see his brother again one day. There was always trouble hiding behind a corner. For now, though, things were pretty safe for an Expendable.

 **The End**

* * *

 **I really hope you liked this story. I of course left it open for a potential sequel one day if there's any interest. Thanks for reading. If you have time to leave a review, I'd appreciate it. Until next time!**


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